Death of a Partner, Birth of a Hero
by Brightpath2
Summary: <html><head></head>After an argument with Bruce, Richard Grayson leaves Wayne manor alone. Hours later he is discovered to have been kidnapped by an unknown group who will do whatever they can to ensure that Batman will never get his Robin back. Unable to be found, now Dick must escape without help from his mentor and Team, and find his own identity along the way. A little bird can only last so long</html>
1. Prologue

**Almost two years ago I promised the readers of my Young Justice fanfiction, Merry Christmas! Or not, that I would write another Young justice story. Since then, the show has not only been canceled, but there's been a lot of things going on in my life (moving, getting another younger sibling, dating, life, etc.) and I've not had the chance.**

**In fact, I haven't been writing much of anything, part of that being placed under the blame of the cursed writers block, but in part it being my very own fault.**

**So here, with an apology to any of my wonderful readers who have been waiting, is my next Young Justice story!**

**Disclaimer: As much as I wish I could own it and make sure that there was another season (in which we discover the secret of the Speedforce and find out that Wally is stuck inside but can be saved -hmmm possible later story idea) anyways, yeah, I barely even own the plot, and not the characters or world at all, sorry guys. I'm just doing this for fun.**

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><p>Gotham City<p>

April 15, 1:50 EST

Dick Grayson was not legally allowed to ride a motorcycle on his own. He was also not allowed to go out by himself with no warning.

Was that stopping him? Not really.

He was riding on the very outskirts of Gotham, outside of the main city and along the country roads, where he knew no cops went, so there was no chance of him being caught. He was also speeding, so he thought it was a doubly good chance that he was safe.

Normally he never went out on his motorcycle as Dick Grayson, especially not when he was alone, but he was angry, and he wanted to get out of his house for a while.

Richard Grayson was the ward of Bruce Wayne, the billionaire owner of Wayne Enterprises, who also ran the company. He was a charitable man, and a wonderful father, however . . . He was also Batman.

Dick was Robin, Batman's partner. They'd been working together since Robin was nine years old, and knew each other better than anyone would have expected.

Which was one of the reasons that Dick was so mad.

Batman and Robin's mission the night before hadn't gone quite as planned. Robin had received a gun wound to his shoulder because he took a risk that saved a life. Of course, afterwards Batman gave him the "you could have been killed," and "you should have waited for me to come as backup" lectures, but Dick knew he was in the right. He'd saved a ten year old girl from being killed, and if Batman would have just listened to him, he would know that.

But no, all his mentor had seen was Robin's injury. Of course they'd gotten all the civilians to safety, fought off the rest of the bad guys, tied them up and left them for Commissioner Gordon to find first. They were actually halfway home before Batman had realized how pale Robin was, and noticed the blood, and after that he wouldn't listen to one word out of Robin's mouth even after both he and Alfred had decided that it was not life threatening.

Batman was furious, mostly because he was worried, and technically Dick knew that, but he was still mad. Over the past few months he'd been feeling a little bit restrained. He was spending more and more time with the Team at Mount Justice instead of with his mentor, as Batman sent them on and increasing number of missions, and spent more and more of his time as Batman alone.

This felt like the last straw. Last year Batman would have listened to him, wanting to know exactly how and why he'd been injured, but for whatever reason he hadn't even let Robin talk.

Dick knew he would be going back. He wasn't _that_ mad at his mentor who was also his foster father. Bruce and Alfred were both probably incredibly worried right now. He'd basically shouted at Batman to listen to him before assuming he'd done something wrong, and then stormed out of the Batcave and down to the garage, completely ignoring the fact that his shoulder was freshly wrapped in bandages and both his head and his shoulder throbbed.

Thankfully it had been a glancing shot, Dick thought ruefully, slowing his motorcycle as he turned around, ready to head back.

It was likely that no one in Wayne Manor had gone to bed yet, and Timmy and Jason would want to know exactly what happened.

Dick was nearing the main part of the city when he noticed it. There was a chill down his spine that told him he was being followed. Immediately he sped up, one hand reaching into his jacket pocket for his utility belt.

He heard it before it hit him. A menacing crackle, a flash of blue light, and then a ripping pain as he was knocked off of his motorcycle, rolling several feet as the electricity rushed through him, and blackness crept into his vision.

Batman was going to kill him . . .

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><p><strong>Of course, we all know that Bruce won't really kill him. <strong>

**This is just a prologue, and the first chapter might night be up for a couple of weeks while I work on getting a good lead, but I hope you enjoy!**

**Please REVIEW! :) Reviews make my day**


	2. Chapter 1

**Well Hello! I wasn't expecting to return so quickly to update, but I'm close to being finished with chapter 3, and Saturdays used to be my regular update days so . . . yeah.**

**I already have 3 reviews! Thank you to PrettyKitty Luvs U, Unknown823543, and Guest for reviewing! and thank you to anyone who followed or favorited as well. Your support means a lot :)**

**For anyone who wants to know, I am planning on covering the creation of Nightwing, and Batgirl, and Jason becoming Robin in this story.**

**I'm open to constructive criticism and the like, but no flames please guys!**

**Guest reviews:**

**Guest: thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed that :)**

**Disclaimer: *dodges a Batarang* fine Robin! I get it! I kidnapped you and I don't even own Young Justice! I'm sorry! *runs away***

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

Gotham City

April 15, 8:00 EST

Jason started getting worried at around 8:00 in the morning. Dick never stayed out all night. Ever.

Tim was pacing and running his hands through his hair distractedly. They'd both come up to Dick's room when Bruce had told them he'd gone for a ride on his motorcycle. They both knew he would expect them to be there when he got back, and they always liked to greet him and Bruce when they got back from a mission.

"He should be back," Tim said, his voice shaking a little. The eleven year old had gotten really close to Dick in the year that he'd lived in Wayne Manor. Jason was only thirteen, but he'd grown up on the streets, and was a bit less prone to worrying than Tim. Of course . . . He was still pretty concerned.

"Let's go find Bruce and Alfred," Jason said, trying to keep his voice calm. Something was wrong. He could feel it. Dick had not been angry enough to worry them this much.

And there was another thing. There were plenty of people who would jump at the chance to snatch the rich ward of Bruce Wayne, as Jason knew all too well. He'd only lived with Batman for a year and a half, and already there had been about ten attempted kidnappings and one success. While he'd lived there, Dick had been through even more. So if someone had seen him, managed to surprise him . . . Bruce said that Dick was injured badly enough to slow him down at least a little in a fight, and if he was surprised . . . Or if his motorcycle crashed and he was injured further . . .

Bruce was waiting for them. He looked as tired and worried as Jason felt, and he was holding his cellphone in his hand.

"I just got off the phone with Commissioner Gordon," he said quietly. "They found Dick's motorcycle in the outskirts of Gotham. His jacket was there too, but there's absolutely no sign of him."

Jason froze, and he heard Tim's horrified cry, and then the two of them were enveloped in Bruce's arms.

None of them were usually very clingy. Hugs were normally brief in the Wayne household. This time though, none of them broke away.

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><p>Mount Justice<p>

April 15, 14:08 EST

Wally West had not stopped moving since watching the morning news. He'd run around the house, he'd run to the zeta tube and gone to Mount Justice, and he hadn't stopped running around the mountain since he'd got there. He knew that the others were worried. Everyone had been there when he'd arrived, but no one knew what he knew. They just knew that he hadn't stopped moving and that something was wrong. Artemis had tried to talk to him, but Wally was too worried to even stop and talk to her.

Which was pretty shocking, seeing as she was his girlfriend and they talked about everything.

Or . . . Well . . . _Almost_ everything.

He was the only one on the Team who knew Robin's secret identity. He was the only one who knew that Richard Grayson had disappeared last night. And he was the only one who was freaking out because of it.

He knew that Artemis was friends with Dick at school, but also that she had absolutely no idea of his secret night life as Robin, who she was also friends with.

_"Recognized- Batman, 02."_ At the sound of the zeta tube's recognition, Wally zoomed to the main room in time to see Batman step out of the zeta tube.

"WhathappenedtoRobwhathappenedtoRobwhathappenedtoRobwhathappenedto-"

"Stop." Batman's voice cut across Wally's, effectively stopping not only his words, but even making him come to a stop himself. "Follow me," Batman said coldly. Wally did just that, feeling agitated, and wanting nothing more than to zoom past his friend's foster father, but knowing that Batman was far less likely to tell him anything if he did that.

Zatanna, Rocket, and M'gann were sitting on the couch in the living room, talking cheerfully, while Artemis and Conner were watching the static on the television. Kaldur was watching everyone, a relaxed look on his face. Everyone stilled when they saw Batman, and Wally, and he could tell that they were bothered not only by his worried expression (which they were seeing clearly for the first time since he'd arrived at the cave,) but also the fact that Robin was not with them.

"Where's Garfield?" Batman asked immediately, focusing his question towards M'gann.

She looked kind of confused, but answered readily. "Uncle J'onn has him for the day. They're going to an amusement park Gar wanted to go to."

"Tempest and Aqua-girl?" Batman said, mentioning two of the new members of the team. They'd only joined two months before, creating an awkward tension between Kaldur and Garth.

"They are visiting Atlantis, and Troia is with Wonder Woman," Kaldur responded, answering for the third new member before Batman could even ask.

Batman nodded and picked up the remote to the tv, changing the channel. Wally winced as Cat Grant's face appeared, with the news headline in an image next to her. RICHARD GRAYSON MISSING, it read, leaving absolutely no doubt as to what Batman was about to tell them about. Artemis had taken several steps forward, and her face was pale.

"The search continues for Richard Grayson, the ward of Bruce Wayne. Richard went missing last night after reportedly leaving his home to go for a ride on his motorcycle. His bike and jacket were found near the outskirts of Gotham, but there was no sign of the boy. Commissioner Gordon of the GCPD, the one to find the bike, has said that the engine of the bike was completely destroyed, leading us to believe that this was more than a motorcycle accident."

The scene on the screen cut to show Bruce Wayne, Alfred, Tim, and Jason, heading towards a car, surrounded by armed guards as reporters clamored for their attention. Wally could see the fear on Tim's face, the anger on Jason's, and the worry on the faces of Alfred and Bruce. "Bruce Wayne and his remaining two wards have been placed under protective custody as the police are unsure whether this is another ransom attempt, or something more sinister. As of yet, none of them have been available for comment," Cat Grant continued, and Batman shut off the the television and turned to face the Team. Wally knew that he was vibrating in place, but he couldn't help it. He and Dick had been best friends for years, and now he was missing out of the blue.

"Is-is Robin looking for him?" Artemis asked, her voice shaky.

"No," Batman said shortly. "Now, what I am about to tell you, I tell you in complete confidence. If any of you mention this to anyone, I will make sure you regret it. You may discuss it with your mentors and the other members of your Team, but that is all." The Team exchanged long looks, and Wally could tell they were apprehensive. They knew that something was wrong, far worse than a rich kid getting kidnapped, and they weren't sure if they wanted to know what it was.

"We swear that we will not reveal any secret you tell us," Kaldur said calmly. The others murmured their agreement.

Immediately, and to Wally's shock, Batman pushed his cowl back, revealing the worried face of Bruce Wayne that had appeared on the screen. It was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop. Wally started zooming around the room again, wishing they could just get past the big reveal that he'd known about for several years.

"Wally, stop," Bruce said, and Wally again slowed.

"What happened?" he asked before he could stop himself. "Rob wouldn't have gone out for a ride as Dick unless he wasn't thinking clearly, so what happened?" He knew that the others were probably staring at him, but ignored it as Batman focused on Wally. He looked tired, and Wally was absolutely positive that he hadn't gotten any sleep the night before.

"We got back from a late night patrol last night at around 12:00. Robin had received a glancing bullet wound in a fight, but I wouldn't listen to him when he was trying to tell me how he'd gotten it. He stormed out of the Batcave at 1:00 this morning and went for a ride. At approximately 4:00 I called Commissioner Gordon to tell him that Dick wasn't home yet, and at 7:30 I received the call to inform me that they'd found his bike and jacket. Gordon and I both assume that it could only have been around 2:00 when Dick was incapacitated, as he was heading back home."

"You're Batman," Artemis interrupted bluntly. Her gray eyes were hard, and Wally wondered whether she was angry at Batman, Robin, or Wally himself.

"Yes," Bruce said simply, hid brown eyes examining her.

"And Richard Grayson is Robin," Artemis continued. "Richard Grayson, whose house I've been to a million times in the past year an a half, who is way quieter than I've ever seen Robin be, and who basically adopted Jason and Tim as his younger brothers is Robin."

"Yes," Bruce said again, his eyes softening.

Artemis seemed shocked. She'd met Bruce a few times too, and told Wally about them, telling him how nice he was, which had sort of surprised her considering his reputation. He had an unusual way of being Dick's dad that she liked, and Alfred was more like a grandfather than a butler, no matter what anyone said. Of course, Wally had kept his comments to himself. He knew all of that himself, and probably better. He'd been at Wayne Manor the day that Jason was caught trying to steal the tires off of the Batmobile, he'd helped Dick watch Tim while his parents were gone until the day that Bruce took him in, only three weeks after his father's death at the hands of Captain Boomerang.

He was also incredibly fond of Alfred's cookies, which to this day M'gann still could not beat.

Artemis took a deep breath. "Why are you telling us?" she asked quietly. "I thought that your biggest rule was to never tell anyone your secret identity?" Wally noticed that her eyes flickered towards him for a heartbeat, and winced.

"You are correct, but this is unlike every other time that Richard Grayson or his counterpart, Robin, have been kidnapped, or taken," Bruce said, lifting his cowl back on to his head so as to resume his role of Batman.

"How so?" Kaldur asked.

"Because," Batman said coldly. "This time I can find no trace of him, and there has been no word of a ransom."

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><p><strong>Dun dun dun . . . <strong>

**Anyways . . . . so . . . um . . . yes this is when I think they would have found out about Robin's secret identity. Something big would have needed to happen for Batman to let him . . . and to have Batman tell them himself . . . anyways.**

**Tempest was the first to join the Team after Rocket, followed by Aqua-girl and Troia. All of them either left the Team or were killed before the events of season 2.**

**Anyone want to try a guess at who kidnapped Robin?**

**REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hi guys. I'm making this short because I have a horrendous headache. This is a little later than usual, but I went to a camp this weekend and just got home a few hours ago.**

**Thank you all so much for reading this! Silent readers, followers, favorites, and reviewers are all appreciated :)**

**Guest review:**

**Guest: Thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy it :)**

**Some of your guesses on who the villain is were pretty close. Mickey's Girl was closest. VIRTUAL COOKIES! (::) (::)**

**Read onwards. :)**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, my job is a lot less exciting than owning Young Justice. And I think it pays less. Also, if I owned Young justice, we'd be done with season three and at the very least VERY least, working on season four. **

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><p>Chapter 2<p>

Unknown Location

Unknown date, Unknown time

When Dick woke up he didn't open his eyes, didn't move, and made sure to keep his breathing deep and steady. He ached everywhere, and he could tell that his shoulder had started bleeding again. This was not good.

He could hear soft voices talking somewhere nearby, but they were far enough away that he couldn't hear any of the words being said. One of the voices was rather familiar however, and he shivered. If he could just hear it better . . . he shifted slightly, turning his head towards the sound, and then cursed inwardly as he realized his mistake.

"Milady, I think the boy is awake," a soft voice said.

Immediately the conversation cut off, and Robin heard the sound of high heels clicking towards him. His mind scrambled for the facts: He knew he was lying on a hard floor, his hands were tied behind him, his feet also tied, and he knew that the main person behind his kidnapping seemed to be a woman. He was pretty sure that whoever it was was powerful, or at the very least had connections. And he guessed that whoever it was didn't want the usual ransom. Most kidnappers tried their hardest _not_ to injure the person they were kidnapping for money.

Dick froze as the high heels clicked to a stop next to him, and he waited with baited breath as his captor stood over him. "Hello Richard," a soft voice whispered, and he stiffened. He knew who had captured him, and this was bad. This was very, very, bad.

He opened his eyes, staring up into the soft green eyes of Talia al Ghul.

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><p>Gotham City<p>

April 21, 12:00 EDT

Commissioner James Gordon was an unusual person to be working in Gotham's police department. When he'd first arrived it had been so thoroughly corrupted that he'd been sure it was beyond all help. As the years went on however, he was able to bring about several changes. For one, some of the criminals they caught actually stayed caught. Also, the people of the city were far more likely to trust the police, which made it easier for him to do his job.

He worked pretty well with Batman, Gotham's hero, and although many before him and after him had tried, he was the only one who even had a chance at guessing the hero's identity.

That didn't mean he wanted to, or needed to.

Even so, deep in his subconscious he knew who it was. So the immense sympathy he felt for Bruce Wayne given Richard's recent kidnapping was magnified tenfold as Batman was forced out every night to fight of a slew of villains who just couldn't seem to give him a break. The hero seemed to be a little bit more violent than he was usually, but most people didn't notice.

Jim Gordon was not most people.

He'd set everyone he had who was free searching for any sign of Richard Grayson. Most people thought it was just because of the power of Bruce Wayne's position, and of course Commissioner Gordon was denying it even to himself, but in all honesty he was doing a favor for a friend.

It didn't hurt that Dick was Barbara's best friend either.

When he'd finally come home the day he found out Dick was missing, he'd been prepared to deal with Barbara's worried questions, the fiery anger that often accompanied the news that her best friend had been kidnapped _again,_ or even the cold silence that she'd once met him with.

He wasn't at all prepared to find her curled up on the couch under a blanket in tears as she watched the news.

"Babs?" he said softly, using the nickname that Richard had given her. She sniffed as she turned to him, her blue eyes shimmering with tears.

"Daddy," she whispered, rolling off of the couch and onto her feet, and heading straight for him. She'd turned fifteen four months before, but still Gordon couldn't get that thought through to his heart. She would always be his little girl.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her.

"No," she whispered. "Dick called me last night dad. He was fine at 10:00 when we were talking about the math homework Ms. Simons assigned us. He-he sounded happy. You know that Bruce just officially made Timmy his ward . . ." Barbara trailed off, and started crying again.

Gordon winced. That news had only been announced a few weeks ago, and it was true that the entire Wayne household had been over the moon ever since. Dick had in fact come over almost immediately to tell Babs the news before any reporters got ahold of it.

"Did you find anything?" Barbara asked, going back to the couch as her dad shrugged off his jacket.

Gordon sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes with one hand. "No," he'd whispered. "Nothing."

And it hadn't changed since then. In the five and a half days that had passed since the boy's disappearance, they hadn't found even one lead, which was not only unusual, but was frightening.

It was shocking. Dick Grayson had never stayed in captivity for this long. Either the police found him, or Batman did, and always within a couple of days at most.

So it was a complete shock when Sera Michaels called him over. "Gordon, I have something on the Grayson case," she whispered, knowing to keep her voice down. If she'd said it any louder than she had, everyone would have been swarming, and they would never have gotten anything done. Also, it was likely that someone would have leaked something to the press, and then they would be even _less_ likely to get something done.

He was over there in a heartbeat, taking in Sera's pale face and horrified expression, and prepared himself for the worst.

A few minutes later he had his cellphone in his hand and was speaking rapidly. "I know you can't reveal his location to me, but tell Bruce Wayne that I have information on his son, and he needs to see it, so get him to the my office at the Police department as fast as you can," he hissed in an undertone.

He didn't have time to deal with overprotective and thickheaded bodyguards right now.

Within thirty-five minutes Bruce Wayne was standing across from him, looking completely exhausted, and more worried than Gordon could ever remember seeing him. The deep shadows under his eyes and the way he swayed slightly told the Commissioner that he was in need of sleep, something that he most likely wouldn't get much of until his son was back with him.

"I was told you had news Commissioner," Bruce said softly. It didn't quite sound threatening- Bruce Wayne was rarely threatening- but Gordon knew that the man was impatient to hear any news of his missing son.

Gordon sighed. "Of a sort. We've been scanning any and all video messages, as well as phone calls, to make sure that if anyone slips, we'd catch them. Instead, we were sent something."

"A ransom?" Bruce said immediately. "I'll pay it, whatever it is."

Gordon gave him a look of pure sympathy. This man had paid more than once to get Richard out of the hands of lunatics who wanted the money, each time getting his money back when the kidnapper was captured.

If only this could be that simple.

"Sit down Mr. Wayne," Gordon said softly, turning his chair so that he was facing the screen behind him. He pressed a button on the remote and the video he'd watched forty minutes before appeared, relieved to see Bruce drop into a chair. Then he turned his attention to the woman on the screen.

The woman was beautiful, there was no denying that. Her green eyes were set perfectly in her face, and her long brown hair fell to just past her shoulders. Her face was set into a pout.

Gordon could have sworn he saw Bruce's face twitch when he saw her.

"I know you'll be seeing this Bruce. I'm sure by now at the very least you've noticed someone's missing from your life. And I don't mean me," she added viciously, turning the camera so that it fell on Richard Grayson. His wrists were chained to a post in the ceiling so that his feet were dangling several feet off the ground. He was breathing heavily, and there was a bruise on his forward, blood on his left shoulder, and a dazed look in his eyes.

"Here's your little boy Bruce," the woman said, her voice sickly sweet. "Isn't he precious?" She moved back into view, moving towards the boy and stroking his face with the tip of a delicate knife.

Bruce was on his feet now, Gordon noticed out of the corner of his eye. His face was horrified, and the Commissioner was startled to see tears in the other man's eyes.

"My father just barely gave me permission to do this Bruce. He wasn't happy, but he allowed it. Of course, after he gave in the first time he was only too willing to let me do whatever I like with your boy. And trust me Bruce, I'll do whatever I want with the little bird.

"I have Richard, and you will never get him back," the woman hissed sharply, then she smiled in a sickly sweet way. "At least, not in one piece." The video faded to black with the sound of tinkling laughter still ringing.

Gordon shut it off with a heavy heart, and turned back to face Bruce, who had slumped back into his seat with his head in his hands. He could only imagine the horror of watching his child hurting in front of him without being able to do anything about it. Knowing that somewhere someone was hurting them and he wouldn't be able to save them.

"Can you track it?" Bruce said hoarsely, looking up. His brown eyes were temporarily hopeful, but Gordon knew he would have to crush that hope.

"Doubtful. This woman managed to completely erase any sign of where Dick is, or that she even captured him in the first place. I'm not sure that we have any chance at all. We'll definitely try though," he added at the horrified look in Bruce's eyes as he stated bluntly what his feelings were on the subject. With almost any other person he might have sugarcoated it a little, but that would have been the wrong path to take with Bruce Wayne. "And I'll try to get it through to Batman, maybe he'll have more luck."

At that Bruce adopted a grateful expression. "Thank you," he breathed. "For everything Jim. Tell Barbara to call Tim's cell when you get home. He wanted to talk to her about something." The two men stood up, shook each others hands, and with that, the worried father left, immediately surrounded by bodyguards. His face had become passive, unreadable. No one would be able to tell if the news he'd received was good or bad.

Jim Gordon sighed, leaning back in his seat, and wondering what in the world he was going to tell Barbara.

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><p>Gotham City<p>

April 21, 15:00 EDT

Knowing that Talia al Ghul had Dick did nothing to make Bruce feel better. In fact, it made him feel a hundred times worse. It was all his fault that his son was missing. Not only that, but the last time Bruce had seen him, he'd been mad at him for getting himself injured. He didn't listen to him, and instead was furious, saying things he didn't mean. And now it was uncertain whether or not he would ever see his son again. Dick's last memory of him might be _that_.

The second he got back inside the underground safe house that they'd been staying in ever since the kidnapping, he let his whole facade drop. His guards stayed outside, and the only ones inside were Tim, Jason, and Alfred. He groaned and his shoulders slumped. This was bad. No, this was _beyond_ bad. Richard was in the hands of the daughter of Ra's al Ghul.

"Master Bruce, is everything alright?" Bruce winced at the worry in Alfred's voice. He'd heard it every day for the past five days, whenever he got back from patrol, or from interviews, or even when he woke up.

"Talia al Ghul has Dick," he forced himself to say, knowing that keeping that to himself would be in no way helpful.

The horror that spread across Alfred's face made Bruce feel even more guilty. _This was all his fault._

"Will he be alright?" Tim's quiet voice startled Bruce, and he realized that his remaining two sons were watching him with hopeful (but worried) eyes. They obviously hadn't heard what he'd just told Alfred, although at the very least Jason knew that something was up, because Bruce could see anger building in the back of his eyes. His dark reddish black hair was falling into his blue eyes, so much harder and colder than Dick's, and Batman was reluctantly reminded once more of the reasons he was uncertain of someday allowing Jason to patrol with him.

He was also reminded that if he didn't let Robin out, people would start to wonder where he was . . . And with Richard Grayson's disappearance, people would make connections.

Ignoring Tim's question, he moved down the hall. "Jason," he said quietly. "Come with me." His second oldest deserved to know the truth. And Batman was in need of a Robin.

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><p><strong>Ah the joy of being me . . . . . . I figured Talia would be a fun bad guy to use, since she knows the identities of Batman and Robin, has a grudge against the Bat, and you know, has a crazy powerful dad. However I know almost nothing about her. Obviously she's Damian's mom, but that's about it. So, I'm sorry if she's a little bit out of character.<strong>

**Also, I know a lot of people make Barbara older than Dick, but in the Young Justice universe she is younger than him by at least a month.**

**Thoughts, ideas, suggestions, freaking-out-mode-because-oh-my-gosh-what-are-you-doing-this-is-a-cliffhanger, then just leave a little**

**REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hi guys . . . *promptly falls over and starts snoring.***

**I've had a really slow writing week, a headache, an earache (possibly infected blah) sleeping problems, and the completely horrible inability to concentrate long enough to read a book.**

**basically? not good.**

**So. I really hope you enjoy this chapter XD**

**Guest reviews:**

**Guest: Thank you!**

**Guest: Ah, cliffhangers are wonderful to write and horrible to read. ^.^ Yeah, especially since the show has been canceled we need more Young Justice. Unfortunately a lot of authors for the series have recently begun to quit. Lack of inspiration is getting everyone :/  
>He's my favorite character as well. I don't know the other two Robin's quite as well for one, and for another, Dick is just . . . amazing. Nothing can beat the original Robin.<br>I'm glad you like the way I've been writing them. Tim is adorable. Jason tries (and fails) not to be adorable. Batman and Alfred are amazing as usual. And Daddybats! most important part if you ask me. Love Wally too.  
>Thank you so much! I'm so glad that you are enjoying this story, and thank you as well for the long review!<br>Season 3, where are you?!**

**Thank you to the others who reviewed, followed, favorited, and read silently!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Young Justice, this would be an episode not writing. Also, you wouldn't be finding it on . . . . .**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

Gotham City

April 22, 1:30 EDT

Barbara Gordon sat on the roof of the apartment building she and her dad shared. Normally she would never have been out this late, (her dad would have freaked) but today was a special situation. For one, her dad wasn't home, and wouldn't be home until the next day. He'd called to tell her he was following a lead on the Grayson case, and that Bruce Wayne said Tim wanted her to call him.

What Bruce meant by that was "Batman wants to talk."

One year before, Dick had told her he was Robin. They'd been friends for a long time, and he trusted her, he'd said. Bruce wouldn't be happy, but he'd have to deal with it. Suddenly watching Batman and Robin fighting Two Face or the Joker had seemed less amazing and more worrying. She was always waiting for a text from Dick, or Alfred, to let her know that her friend and his foster father were both alright.

She'd come over more and more, and slowly Dick had started training her. At first she knew it had been a desire on his part to have her be able to defend herself better than the self defense classes her dad forced her to take would, but when he saw that she was good at it, they'd started talking about seeing if Bruce would actually let her fight. Last month they'd brought the idea to him together, and once he'd gotten over his initial anger, he'd said he would think about it.

Barbara was pretty sure he was done thinking about it now. Robin's disappearance would be noticed soon, and having the appearance of a new hero would be distracting. Not only that, but with additional help, Batman and Robin would both be less likely to get injured.

Dick had been working on teaching her how he and Batman communicated with only a series of looks, something she'd seen them do out of costume as well. It was impressive how they'd figured out how to talk without saying a word, but far more impressive that they'd actually made up a language out of infinitesimal facial expressions.

He'd also taught her the code words. "Tim wants her to call him when she gets home," for instance, was a way of saying, "See you tonight."

How that worked exactly, she didn't know. Of course, she also figured that if Tim had really wanted to talk to her, he would have just called. Every member of the Wayne family had her phone number, including Alfred.

"Barbara."

She turned with a slight gasp when she heard Batman's voice. She hadn't noticed when he came up behind her, and she knew that right about now Dick would have been scolding her for not paying enough attention to her surroundings. "Batman," she returned, hearing her voice shake slightly. Just seeing him made her think of Robin. If he'd been in costume, would he still have been taken? She doubted it. He could have fought back, even with an injury.

"You'll take on the name of Batgirl. I'll train you, and when Robin returns, he'll continue in assisting with your training. In a few months, if I think you're ready, I'll take you to meet the Team," Batman said.

Barbara felt her jaw drop. This was not at all what she'd been expecting. "You . . . I . . . What?" she finally managed.

Batman gave a sharp look. "You heard what I said. Be ready. Training starts tomorrow."

And with that, Batman turned and melted into the shadows, leaving Barbara sitting on the roof, completely and utterly confused.

* * *

><p>Gotham City<p>

April 22, 2:20 EDT

Jason was not happy.

Sure he'd wanted to patrol with Bruce, but in his head he'd also always included Dick with them. He certainly had never imagined that his big brother being gone would mean Bruce would not only want him to patrol, but to join the Team. He was also pretty sure that the Team wouldn't like it either.

Dick and Alfred had been working on Jason's suit for some time. Ever since Bruce had decided that he could become another of Batman's partners, Dick had take to the idea with enthusiasm. So it was that when Jason put it on, it not only fit perfectly, but was exactly what Batman wanted for his partners' suits. It was kevlar, and had bulletproof padding. At least, theoretically it was bulletproof. It was the same stuff that had failed to stop the bullet that hit Dick.

Jason had to admit that it was pretty cool to be suited up and standing next to Batman. He'd witnessed his discussion with Barbara, and now he was following his mentor across the rooftops of Gotham towards the nearest Zeta tubes.

He'd already had his shouting match with Bruce about meeting the Team, so he just continued in frosty silence. He was not happy about this. He didn't want to take Dick's place on the Team, or anywhere, and yet he couldn't help but feel the creeping sensation that that was exactly what was happening.

Apparently, Batman thought that everyone would be awake and at the cave, but Jason didn't see why that would be. After all, it wasn't like they would be expecting Batman to come by with news at 2:30 in the morning.

He sighed, and followed his mentor as he swung down into an alley with an old phone box that disguised the zeta tubes, and prepared himself for meeting the Team.

* * *

><p>Mount Justice<p>

April 22, 3:00 EDT

Artemis winced at the expression on Troia's face. She and Wonder Woman had been on a mission and incommunicado for the past two and a half weeks, and no one had known when they would be back, so she hadn't heard about Robin.

Tula and Garth had come back to the surface as soon as Aquaman told them the news, and they were standing with Kaldur as he calmly tried to explain what they knew about Robin's disappearance. Batman had given them permission to tell the entire Team Robin's identity, although Garfield was left in the dark. Currently M'gann's brother was staying with Martian Manhunter.

"So let me get this straight," Donna said quietly. "Richard Grayson is Robin, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Robin was kidnapped as a civilian, and he hasn't been found, and you all are stuck here unable to do anything to help?"

Everyone flinched as Kaldur nodded.

Donna looked around the room, and sighed, rubbing her forehead tiredly. "This sucks," she mumbled. She'd gotten back an hour earlier, and had been surprised to see everyone at the mountain. They'd been camping out in the living room, the girls sleeping on the couches with the guys on the floor. Most of them had actually been awake, talking in hushed tones. It was what had happened every night since Robin went missing. As soon as anyone who went to school got back, they would join in the discussion about what they were going to do to find Robin. A week with no news was driving them all crazy.

It'd taken them an hour to explain everything that had happened and answer any questions she had, but now, Artemis wondered what Donna was thinking. She was the newest member of the Team, but she'd fit right in, and was good friends with Robin from before she'd joined.

Her slightly wavy black hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she was still wearing her suit, but Donna didn't seem to notice. "How is Batman taking this?" she asked, looking around.

Everyone exchanged glances. "We haven't seen Batman since he told us," Artemis admitted. "We have no idea what's going on. No one in the League will tell us anything."

Donna frowned. "That's ridiculous! He's our teammate, our friend! We have a right to know what's going on."

"Oh, so that's why you thought everyone would be awake," someone said before anyone could respond.

Artemis whirled at the vaguely familiar voice, and froze. Batman was standing there, glaring at them all, and standing next to him was . . . .

"Robin?" M'gann sounded confused as she levitated herself over the couch and towards him.

At first glance anyone would have thought it was him. The boy was roughly the same height, and was wearing a very similar suit, but his hair was a slightly different shade, and a different cut. He seemed to be a little taller than Robin, and was more like Wally in build. His suit was different enough that Artemis could tell that there was no way it was him.

The kid glanced at Batman with a frown on his face. "Not the Robin you're thinking off," he said quietly.

Artemis blinked as she realized why she recognized his voice just as Wally spoke. "Little Rob 1! What are you doing here?"

The kid snorted. "Really Wally? I already told you to drop that name. And I'm here because Batman wants me to temporarily join the Team."

There was a sudden silence. Everyone turned to look at Batman, who seemed to be completely calm. "You're _replacing_ Robin!" Artemis accused, and she could hear the fury in her own voice. "You can't do that!"

"Batman, is there a reason for this?" Kaldur asked. He was trying to stay calm, but even _he_ sounded angry. Artemis couldn't believe that her friend's mentor, his father, would replace him after only one week.

Batman nodded. "Robin is not being replaced. I've been training both of them together for the past nine months. When Robin returns, he will be reinstated into the Team if that is what he wants."

"_If_ that's what he wants?" Artemis echoed. Everyone exchanged worried glances. There was no way that this would convince Robin to give up his life as a hero. Right?

"Besides, I don't want to replace Golden boy anymore than you guys want me to," the new Robin said sharply. "As soon as he comes back I'm out of here."

"Robin, that's enough," Batman said sharply. "I'll leave you here to get to know your teammates. They already know Richard's identity, you may tell them yours if you so wish. When Richard is back the rules will be stricter."

With that, Batman stormed out of the cave, leaving everyone in a stare off with the new Robin.

Wally was the first one to move. "So, any news? How've you been? How's Timmy?" He sped over to the younger boy, who ducked his friendly arm and snorted.

"How do you think I'm doing Wally? Dick is gone, Bruce is going insane, and now he's dumping me onto the Team while he leaves Tim with Alfred and tries to take care of the whole situation by himself because _Talia al Ghul_ thought it would be a good idea to kidnap my older brother!" Jason tore off his mask, revealing furious blue eyes. "I don't even want to be here Wally. I might have wanted to join the Team, but _not_ under these circumstances, not now! Batman isn't even letting you guys look for him! He only sent me here so that I wouldn't get in his way."

Artemis hurried forward. "Slow down Jason, you don't know that for sure," she protested weakly, although she didn't even believe that herself.

He laughed coldly, turning on her. "Sure Artemis, I bet you believe that about as much as I do. If I'm going to be stuck here, then I'm going to get some sleep. Only bother me if you want a batarang thrown at you or a punch in the face." With that, the younger boy stalked out of the room in the direction of Robin's bedroom, although how he knew where it was Artemis wasn't sure.

Connor growled and punched a wall, knocking a good portion of stone loose. "He's right. Batman isn't telling us anything. Who's this Talia al Ghul, and what's the big deal about us helping? Robin is our teammate, our friend! We have a right to try and find him."

Artemis shuddered. "Talia al Ghul is the daughter of Ra's al Ghul, Connor. She's not an easy person to track down. Nor is she one of your run of the mill villains. Her dad runs the League of Shadows, and she's one of his top ranking assassins. It's been rumored among assassins that Ra's and his daughter have known Batman's identity for years." It would certainly explain why Batman was getting Jason somewhere safe. It was obvious that he thought the boy might be the next target.

Everyone was silent as they digested what Artemis said. No one needed to ask where she'd gotten the information. Her mother was a former criminal, her father a mercenary, and her sister actually worked for the League of Shadows.

Donna sighed, slumping down next to Zatanna and Rocket, who were sitting on the couch. "I take back what I said earlier," she muttered. "This _really_ sucks."

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know Troia well, so if I have her out of character, forgive me. <strong>

**We've had an appearance by Babs, Jason joining the Team (and not being happy about it) and lots of unhappiness in general! yay! . . . . . **

**wait . . . . .**

**anyways! Thoughts! Questions! Ideas! Comments! Constructive criticism! REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. I've had a super super super super long week. Not only has my ear infection not totally gone away by my mom went to California to visit my uncle who was dying (we live in TX) and I was taking care of my younger siblings all week long, and then he died last night and ugh . . . . . . **

**Hope you all had a happier Halloween than that.**

**Guest reviews:**

**Guest: here's more.**

**Kim: hahaha! I'm really glad you're enjoying it so much. Fangirl ranting is totally allowed. I do it pretty much on a daily basis.**

**Thank you to anyone else who reviewed, favorited, followed, or read behind the scenes. I don't know that there will be a chapter next week so if I don't update, I did warn you.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Young Justice, I would pretty much not be writing this fanfiction. Yeah.**

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><p>Chapter 4<p>

Unknown place

Unknown date, unknown time

Dick gasped for breath, wincing. His ribs were aching from the last time Talia's goons had come after him. They'd set him loose in a huge building that didn't seem to have any exits, and then spent the last who knew how long chasing him and beating him up whenever they caught him.

Or at least, they'd been trying. Even without his belt and weapons, Dick knew how to take care of himself. He'd defeated at least half of the forces set against him, but that didn't stop him from being injured. It didn't stop him from tiring. He was slowing, and as he slowed he was more likely to get caught. He'd gotten snatches of sleep, but still . . . It wasn't enough.

The only thing that kept him moving, kept him fighting, was the constant thought that ran through his head. _Batman is coming, Batman is coming._

There was no way that Bruce would leave him in the hands of Talia al Ghul for much longer, or anyone for that matter. This was probably the longest time they'd ever been separated because of a kidnapping, and Dick wasn't really sure how much time had passed. He faintly remembered the day that Talia had sent a video message to Bruce, but he'd been pretty dazed, and hadn't really been able to send Bruce a message in any of their usual ways.

Not only that, but he had absolutely no idea where he was. It might have been reassuring for Bruce to see him say he was alright, but Dick couldn't have told him anything about where Talia was keeping him. Every time he was moved they knocked him out, and did it well. Talia was proving beyond a doubt that her father had taught her well. She really was no simple crook.

He wished that she would have made more mistakes. Then he might have been able to attempt _something_.

Of course, he was Robin, partner to _the_ Batman. He could figure something out. It would have been easier if he was actually wearing his Robin outfit, but instead he was in his civilian clothes, a pair of worn out jeans and a torn and singed shirt. He was getting fed one meal in what he assumed was the middle of the day, which was also the only time he was given water.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, but he figured it had been at the very least a week.

Dick slowed as he rounded a corner, looking around carefully. His eyes had adjusted to the nearly nonexistent light in the maze-like building long ago, but it was still dark enough that someone could easily hide in the shadows. He was just relieved that he was not only used to the dark, but could also fade into the shadows quite easily.

He felt wary. It had been hours since he'd last been caught, and for some reason that made him feel uncomfortable. Before now he hadn't even gone half an hour without at least hearing them.

"Richard?" a soft voice spoke from behind him, and he immediately dove forward, performing a painful somersault and rolling back to his feet. He turned to see Talia al Ghul, standing right behind where he'd just been.

Her green eyes seemed to glow slightly in the dim light. She was wearing a black jumpsuit, and her long brown hair fell in waves down her back. "Hello there Richard," she said softly. "You're becoming quite a night bird aren't you?"

"What do you want Talia?" he asked coldly, backing away carefully.

She smiled sweetly at him. "I want to get back at your dear father for leaving me, and I think that you are the perfect way to do so. I told him he wouldn't get you back."

Dick frowned. Batman never believed anyone when they said that, and for good reason.

Talia laughed at his obvious confusion. "At least not in one piece. But don't worry, he'll be getting enough of you to torture him." with those words Talia pulled out a knife. Instinctively Dick began to back away, only to have his arms seized from behind.

Immediately he started thrashing, ignoring the growing pain in his shoulder and from the burns along his sides, not to mention his head injury. He managed to elbow the man holding him in the side hard enough that he let him go, and he'd almost gotten away when Talia tackled him, knocking him to the ground and flipping him over so that he was lying on his back as she straddled him.

He bucked and kicked, trying to get her off him, but he was weakened from his injuries and his time in captivity, and she held him down easily. Dick finally stopped moving, giving in to what seemed inevitable.

Talia cooed at him, which was fairly insulting, and pressed her knife against his cheek, leaning forward. "Oh little bird, you're so small. It's a pity your father had to leave me. I always thought you would make a wonderful son."

"Mother's don't treat their children like this," Dick gasped, struggling for breath.

The woman flicked her knife, leaving a shallow cut right beneath Dick's eye. "As I said," she murmured. "Quite a pity."

He closed his eyes, ready for the worst. Instead all he felt was a sharp tug as Talia cut off a lock of his hair. He opened his eyes as Talia slit the palm of his hand and dripped his blood onto the hair. Dick felt a cold claw grip his heart as Talia sat up. "I'm sure Bruce will love this present," she murmured. Then a cold smile crept over her face. "But I think I'll send it to your little team first."

And with that, she pressed a little jar beneath his nose, and Dick blacked out.

* * *

><p>Mount Justice<p>

April 25, 10:36 EDT

Jason had spent the last few days sleeping in Dick's bedroom at the cave. At first it had seemed weird to fall to sleep every night staring at the poster for the Flying Grayson's act from Haly's Circus, but soon it became comforting. Besides that, the entire room smelled of him. Jason had never thought about it before, but it was a comforting scent, like the way Bruce smelled every day before he left on patrol, but a little softer.

Great, Jason thought moodily. He was thinking about how his older brother smelled. He was probably going insane.

He was currently the only one in the cave. The rest of the Team had left to spend some time with their mentors and family. It was kind of eery to be alone after three days of constantly hearing the Team in the background, but at the same time it was incredibly relaxing.

He sighed, rolling off of Dick's bed, and left the room, heading towards the Mission Room. It was the first time he'd actually emerged from the room since he'd entered it. He'd opened the door and received meals, but that was all. He didn't see the point of becoming friends with the Team when it was only temporary. Besides, if he needed to, he could count on Wally and Artemis to back him up.

As he entered the Mission Room, he slowed, frowning. Something didn't seem right.

He whipped a Batarang out of his utility belt, and turned slowly, surveying his surroundings. There didn't seem to be anyone there, and he couldn't hear anything other than his own breathing, but still.

Suddenly a screen flickered to life, and he was staring into the green eyes of Talia al Ghul.

"YOU!" he yelled, running forward until he was immediately in front of the screen. "Where is he? Where is Dick?"

Talia laughed. "Oh Richard's fine dear. I think he's quite enjoying his stay here, see?" the camera turned so that it fell on an unconscious boy, lying on the floor. Dick had a cut on his cheek, and blood stained his shirt in numerous places, including right around his injured shoulder.

"You monster," Jason hissed, almost tempted to say something worse, but he could almost hear Dick's chiding voice. He wondered inwardly if his brother was even alive. He couldn't tell.

The camera zoomed back to Talia. "Oh no dear, you're mistaken. I'm not a monster at all. I'm afraid that title goes to your dear father. But besides that, it looks as though poor Richard has been replaced already. What a pity! I thought Bruce at least cared for him a little bit. Oh well. I hope you enjoy your present Jason. You'll have a while to enjoy it before your friends get back."

"What presen-" Jason started, but just then, the power went out.

The darkness was startling, but Jason just growled in annoyance and pulled a flashlight out of his belt, turning it on. Of course the screen had gone black, and as Jason looked around, he realized that even the lights of the zeta tube were out.

That couldn't be good.

He hurried over to the zeta tubes, and tried to leave. Nothing happened. No mechanized voice, no glowing light, nothing. "Crap," he muttered, and a cold feeling washed over him. Immediately he took off running through the cave, checking each and every entrance and exit there was in and out of the cave. Every single one was locked, and knowing the Justice League, they hadn't made the place easy to break out of, or get in to.

Jason was trapped.

He reached to his ear and activated his com. "Robin 2 to Batman," he said quickly. "Come in Batman."

Silence.

"Kid Flash, this is Jay-bird, respond!"

Still nothing.

Jason cursed. He was trapped in the cave with communications down. Talia al Ghul really had a vendetta against Batman if she was trapping Jason in here when she already had Dick. He flipped open his wrist computer, which both Bruce and Richard had insisted was necessary, and began typing a message as quickly as possible. It was still up for now, but he had no doubt that as soon as Talia noticed it, she would shut it down as well.

So all he said was this: "Locked in the cave, no com. Talia sends her love. Come over please." Or, translated from an annoyed Jason using rough Batspeak: GET ME OUT.

He pressed send, and quickly did a couple more things as precautions before his computer went black. He cursed once more and sighed, but felt a smile creep over his face. This was the most exciting thing that had happened since Dick's kidnapping.

Jason was having fun.

* * *

><p>Gotham City<p>

April 25, 10:58 EDT

Bruce Wayne sighed with relief as he finally slid into the back of a black car and shut the door, cutting off the flash of a camera. He'd just been interviewed by several detectives who wanted to know if he had any idea who Dick's kidnapper was or what other reasons they would want to kidnap him besides Bruce's money.

He'd told them as much as possible without actually telling them anything, but the experience had been draining in many ways. He hadn't slept more than three hours in a row since Dick's disappearance, and since finding out that it was Talia al Ghul who had him, it had come down to one. That, combined with his night patrols and relentless search for Dick was wearing him down.

There was a beep from his phone, and he pulled it out. "A new email," he read with a sigh, and resignedly opened it, expecting it to be yet another sympathy letter, or a request for an interview, or some other type of spam.

Instead the message was from Jason, the subject titled URGENT. Bruce groaned and opened it, reading it in seconds, his hand already flying to his ear. "Jason. Jason come in. Jason are you there?"

Nothing.

"Alfred, take us to the nearest Zeta tube," he said. "Now."

His butler did as he asked, turning at the next light and pressing down a little harder on the gas, expertly weaving through the other vehicles on the road. "May I ask what has happened Master Bruce?" he asked calmly.

"Hopefully nothing," Bruce replied softly. "Hopefully nothing."

"Kid Flash, respond," he said, reaching back up to his com. "I have a mission for you."

"Woah Batman, I thought today was our off day, what happened?" Relief rushed through Bruce when the speedster responded immediately. "Is Dick ok?"

"Still no word, however, I received an email from Jason. He's trapped in the cave with no communications, and the Zeta tubes down. His computer died one minute ago, so I'm guessing he barely managed to get the message to me before it shut down. Get as many of the Team there as you can, try to get him out. I'll work on getting there as well, but first I need to make a stop at the Watchtower."

"Copy that," Wally said, and Bruce sighed in relief as Alfred pulled up next to the zeta tube.

"I'll be back as soon as I can Alfred. Tell Tim everything's fine, Jason's just got himself stuck in the mountain."

* * *

><p><strong>I don't particularly love the end of this chapter but ah well. Batman is still awesome.<strong>

**Hope you liked it, please REVIEW**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi. I live. I think.**

**So to top my life off, NaNoWriMo started a few weeks ago, so I haven't been writing anything but my NaNo story. I only finished this chapter yesterday. I'm so sorry!**

**Guest reviews: **

**Kim: So sorry that it took so long! This chapter is kind of Jason centric. Actually, not kind of. It really just is. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! I've never thought that Jason wanted to become Robin per say. I feel like he wanted to help Batman and Dick fight, but not . . . take Dick's place.  
>I'm excited to bring Roy in, but I haven't gotten to that yet :) *rubs hands together* I have lots of fun things planned.<strong>

**Well . . . . . **

**Disclaimer: If I owned Young Justice, we would be having WEEKLY episodes, not sporadic fanfiction updates. :) :) :) **

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><p>Chapter 5<p>

Mount Justice

April 25, 18:00 EDT

He'd been doing fine until the lights came back on. He'd just lounged around napping and waiting for Batman to get him out, after trying to help as best he could from his end.

But when the lights came on, Jason wasn't alone. "Well hello, it looks like the boy wonder has a double," Cheshire said smoothly, flipping one of her sai into the air and catching it again. "I was told to deliver a present to my baby sister and her friends, but I didn't expect there to just be one little sidekick in the whole place. Where are your friends?"

Jason growled, having gotten to his feet the second the lights came on. "Safe from you," he answered sharply. "What kind of present has Talia told you to deliver?"

The assassin laughed, and tossed him a small box. "How would I know? It wasn't a gift for me, so I didn't open it. Besides, don't you know that curiosity killed the cat? Enjoy it. Oh, and I'll tell your brother you said hello if you tell my sister I gave her a gift."

And with that, Cheshire turned and ran away. Immediately Jason chased after her. If she knew a way out of there, he needed to find it as well. As he rounded the corner, he saw her disappear in a flash of red light, and Jason cursed. He was still trapped in the cave, although it was reassuring to have the lights back on. Besides the fact that an assassin had managed to get into the cave while Batman, the League, and the Team were all trying and failing to do the same.

He glanced down at the little package in his hand, and frowned. Why would Talia have sent him a present? What could be in it? Did he even want to know? After a moment of hesitation, he shrugged, and sat down indian style. He figured that life would be boring if he never took any risks. He carefully opened the package, lifting the lid, and staring down at the contents.

After a heartbeat, he tossed the box away from him, scrambling backwards. Had he really just seen what he thought he'd seen?

Jason took a few minutes to compose himself, and then crept towards the box, peeking inside. It was Dick's shirt, torn, singed, and bloodstained, with a note written and pinned to it. "Piece number one" it read. Jason shuddered, pulling the shirt out. As he did, something else fell out of the folds of cloth. For a moment it just looked like threads that differed in color, rusty red to black. Then Jason paled as he realized what it actually was, and snatched the lock of hair up. Half of it was coated in dried blood. Just one look at the shade of black, and Jason knew that it was Dick's hair. And the shirt . . . Exactly how badly had Talia injured him? Jason shuddered, pulling the shirt closer to him and hugging it without even thinking about what he was doing. He suddenly remembered something that had happened about a year and a half before, a couple of weeks before he'd turned twelve.

* * *

><p>He'd just been snooping around in the worst area of Gotham, which was where he lived. He hadn't had his parents around for about three years, and he was surviving well enough- if being half starved and having to fight for his life every other night counted as surviving. He might not have been the best kid, but even <em>he<em> liked the stories of Batman and Robin. So when the Dynamic duo took down a gang with the (possibly unwanted) help of Kid Flash, he watched with bated breath.

Jason had known it before, but Batman and Robin were _awesome_. It took them only four minutes to take down the bad guys, with Kid Flash tying them up faster than they could drop. Robin was small, almost Jason's size, which surprised him slightly. He'd expected both Robin and Batman to be larger than life, but although Batman was not a small person, Robin seemed to just be built small.

Robin laughed as Kid Flash finished tying the last of the gang members of. "Well KF, you saved us five minutes. Thanks."

Kid Flash skidded to a stop, looking at Robin in indignation. "Hey! Batman didn't want me to help fight, so I did the best I could!"

Batman sighed. "You did fine. Now we should head home. You came to stay the night with Robin, and instead you've been running around with us all night. I doubt Flash is going to be happy about that." as he said that, Batman leveled a frightening glare at the red haired boy, who flinched slightly and chuckled nervously, vibrating in place.

"Ah . . . Yeah. I'd forgotten about that," the speedster said reluctantly. "Fine. I'll meet you there then. I get the first of Agent A's cookies!" and with that Kid Flash zoomed away in a streak of yellow.

Batman sighed in exasperation. "Come on Robin. We'll do one last sweep, then meet at the Batmobile."

"You sent him off to get rid of him, didn't you?" Robin asked, sounding incredibly amused.

Batman grunted in reply, and the two of them swung away, leaving Jason staring after them. Then, slowly, the small boy took off through the alley. He had a suspicion about where they might have parked the Batmobile, and even as he ran, he realized he knew just what to do when he found it.

He wasn't surprised to find the Batmobile in the shadows of Crime alley. He'd seen it parked there a couple of times before, back when he and his parents- but that was not something he liked to think about. He took out the small pocketknife he kept in his back pocket, and hurriedly started to work on disconnecting the tires from the Batmobile. By his calculations it wouldn't be much longer before Batman and Robin showed up, and he wanted to get at least one tire. He could get a fortune for expensive tires like these. Whoever Batman was in his secret identity, he had to have been a billionaire.

He'd gotten three of the tires off and was working on the fourth when a batarang hit the ground next to his hand. "Oh man, Batman's not going to be happy to admit Agent A. and I have been right," Robin said cheerfully.

Jason froze. _I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead,_ he thought. Surely Robin and Batman would kill him. There was no way he was going to survive this night. "Hey, kid, you alright? You must be in some deep trouble if you've resorted to stealing the tires off of the Batmobile." Jason turned, surprised to see Robin leaning against the car. He seemed pretty relaxed for someone who'd just caught a kid stealing from him.

"I'm fine," Jason growled. "I'm not desperate."

"You were watching Batman and I earlier, and I'm guessing you heard us say we were doing one last sweep. I'm usually quicker than Batman. He should be here in a few minutes. Or seconds. You should stay and explain to him what happened. He'll be more lenient that way."

Jason couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stood up, facing the other boy. He was surprised to find that he was only a few inches shorter than the hero. "You want me to stay here and tell _the_ Batman that I tried to steal from him? Are you insane?" he demanded.

Robin laughed. "Nope, I'm pretty sane. Of course I dress up in a cape and a mask and run around on the rooftops with a guy who dresses up as a bat to beat up criminals, some of which are _actually_ insane. Then again, said Batman is the one you stole from, and I probably know him better than most people. Besides, have you ever heard of either of us killing people?"

Jason hesitated. True, he'd never actually heard of Batman killing anyone, and looking at the boy in front of him, he was pretty sure this guy wasn't even _capable_ of killing someone. Still, he didn't know if he should trust the word of this boy who'd just basically admitted that his mind was probably not all the way there.

Unfortunately Jason had hesitated too long. "Robin, who is this?"

Jason whirled around and stumbled backwards in shock. Batman was _right_ behind him! "Oh my gosh," he breathed. Batman was even more intimidating up close. He wasn't overly tall, but neither was he short. His shoulders were broad and muscular, and his eyes were narrowed into slits as he peered down at Jason.

Robin moved to stand next to Jason. "No idea. He was stealing the tires off of the Batmobile. Alfred told you not to park here," he added cheekily.

Jason winced, sure the Batman was going to strike at one of them, react angrily in some way. Instead, and to Jason's shock, a faint smile seemed to ghost over the hero's face briefly. "I see. I suppose I should listen to Alfred a bit more," he said quietly. "Now, what is your name?" he added, looking down at Jason.

"Jason Todd," he said without hesitation. He knew without a doubt that Batman would be able to track him down somehow even if he didn't tell him his name. It was better to get this over with. Batman's eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded. He and Robin exchanged a long glance, and Jason got the feeling that they were having a silent conversation which was quickly turning into an argument.

Finally Batman sighed and turned to Jason. "Robin has suggested that we take you to the Batcave and discuss what to do with you there. However, we do not usually take strangers to the Batcave," as he said this he leveled a light glare at his partner, who grinned at him.

"Come on Batman, he obviously doesn't have a family, and it's so quiet at the cave! Would one more really hurt?"

"You painted the car bright yellow last week and told Wally your secret identity a few months ago. It has _not_ been quiet," Batman said sternly. Once again, Jason detected a faint hint of amusement.

He snorted, causing both heroes to look at him. "Who says I even _want_ to go to the Batcave?" he demanded. "You aren't even asking me! I've survived on my own for this long, and I can keep doing it. I don't need help, or a guardian. I've avoided social services on purpose you know."

Robin smiled even wider. "See Batman? He'll fit right in!" the boy sounded like he was having a wonderful time, and didn't seem worried about what Batman would to do to Jason, but Jason had his doubts. There was no way that _the_ Batman would just let him off scott free.

"Robin, we will not reveal our identities to a complete stranger," Batman lectured.

"Well, then why don't we at least get to know him. We could play two truths and a lie, and other get to know you games," Robin suggested.

Jason stared at the other boy. He couldn't tell if the hero was serious or joking. He was pushing this pretty far. It was almost as if he was lonely. Of course, if he was crazy enough to run around in the middle of the night with a guy dressed like a bat and fight some of the craziest and most dangerous people in Gotham, then it was possible that he didn't spend a lot of time around people, and if he was an only child . . . Well, Batman pretty much _had_ to be rich to have all of the tools that he did, so Jason guessed that Robin would be alone a great majority of the time, maybe with a couple of servants or something.

Batman sighed. "Robin, it's not happening. I'm not going to punish this boy, he was obviously just trying to survive. Although if he ever tries anything like this again, I'm afraid I'll have to turn him in."

Jason felt his eyes widen. Batman was letting him off? No punishment at all? "You'd just . . . Let me go?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

Batman and Robin exchanged glances. "We'll be monitoring you, but on a whole, we will leave you alone," Batman finally said. "If you would like, you can work for us."

"Work for you?" Jason said. "What do you mean?"

"You could be our eyes on the streets," Robin said before his mentor could answer. "No one knows the crime scene of Gotham better than someone who lives on the streets."

Jason had to admit that that was true. He could definitely see how he could help the two heroes, but all the same . . . "Why would you want me to help you?" he asked.

Batman sighed. "If it stops you from turning to a life of crime, _and_ helps us to clean these streets, then I think working with you will be worth it."

Jason nodded, and had to admit to himself that the offer was pretty tempting. Being paid for something was a lot better than having to steal, especially when being paid meant he had much less of a chance of going to jail. "I'll take you up on the offer if you promise me that you won't turn me over to social services," he said finally. "I've stayed away from them this long, and I plan on keeping it that way."

Robin nodded at the same time as Batman, and Jason could tell that they'd both expected him to say that. He sighed. "Fine. I'll help you. Sorry about the tires," he added unconvincingly.

Robin grinned at that, but Batman just shook his head. "We'll be watching you Jason Todd," he growled, and then Jason turned and ran the other way as fast as he could.

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><p><strong>Here enters a personal headcanon. I don't know <em>exactly<em> how Jason became a member of the batfamily in the comics, but in my head I feel like it wouldn't happen immediately. Although I think it would only be a few weeks before Batman gives in, partially because of another scene that shall be written and will enter later on in this story. **

**Anyways. Like I said, pretty much this chapter was all Jason. The next one will have more variety, although I don't know when it will be put up.**

**REVIEW!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hi guys. :/ Sorry this update is so late. The chapter wasn't finished until a couple of days ago and I started to pull a little bit ahead on the next one. So so so so so sorry. **

**In other news, I will update next week, then I will be going on a Christmas/New Years hiatus.**

**But! To change things up, the first three reviewers of this chapter will get a one-shot. It doesn't have to be for Young Justice, just so long as I am familiar with the fandom and the characters. :) Consider it a Christmas present.**

**Guest review:**

**Kim: I'm certainly having fun with Jason's background. It's a fun thing to explore. Ah yes, I'm planning on bringing Roy in during the next chapter, so this should be quite fun :)**

**Thank to all of my amazing reviewers! Again I am so sorry for the slow updates. I'm only going on hiatus so that I can get ahead and post on time like a good author XD**

**Disclaimer: *ducks under Cheshire's sai* agh! Dang it I don't own Young Justice and apparently that's not a good thing! *ducks again* Bye guys! Enjoy the story!**

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><p>Chapter 6<p>

Mount Justice

April 26, 5:00 EDT

Batman could tell that the team was discouraged. They'd not only heard nothing from Jason, but no one had been able to get into the cave, even M'gann, whose density shifting had gotten much better over the last couple of years.

Batman had grown quieter and angrier with each passing hour, mostly because he was worried. He'd expected Jason to be working from the inside, but from what all his scanners said, Jason was near the center of the mountain, and he hadn't moved in almost eight hours.

Of course, it was possible that he'd already gone to bed, but that wasn't normal for any of the bats, especially when something was going on.

So, naturally, Batman was worried. As he watched the Team, he could tell that they were not only tired, but felt guilty. He'd already overheard M'gann say that maybe they shouldn't have left the mountain, but all of them had been eager for a day off, a day where their lives were not centered around their missing Teammate.

Dick . . . If he were here, Batman knew he'd have figured out a way to get Jason out. Of course, if Dick were here, they wouldn't be in this situation anyways.

"Batman?" a tentative voice came from nearby, and Batman turned to see Wally standing next to him. The redhead looked exhausted, and he'd removed his mask, revealing the deep shadows under his eyes. He hadn't been sleeping well since Dick was taken.

Batman reigned in his glare slightly, which Wally took as a sign that it was ok for him to continue talking. "Should we try the zeta tubes again?" he asked, a little more boldly this time. "We've tried everything else I can think of, and it's been almost an entire day. I don't know how much longer we can all keep doing this Batman."

For a few minutes Bruce was quiet. He'd been trying the zeta tubes every few hours, and each time they hadn't worked. It was something that frustrated him, because no matter what he tried, no matter how he changed the system, it wouldn't let him in.

If Wally was actually suggesting it though, then he couldn't help but feel as though they didn't have many other options available to them. "I will check again. Kid Flash, get the others ready to leave if it doesn't work. You should all get home and get some rest after this."

Wally looked startled. "What? But what if-"

"There will be no arguments. Your families and mentors have already spent a considerable amount of time without you these past few weeks," Batman said firmly, glaring at Wally with a force that made the redhead turn away.

"Fine," he sighed. "Be sure to call us if you get Jason out without us though."

"I will," Batman agreed, feeling a pang of sorrow shoot through him. Wally had been Dick's best friend for years. He'd known Jason nearly as long as his friend had, and was close to the entire Batfamily, although Bruce would never admit it.

Batman moved to the outside entrance to the Zeta beams. The lights had been on for hours, which had seemed hopeful at first, then just painful, as though they were mocking him. Now, as he put the code into the computer, he couldn't help but pray that it would work.

Then, with a thrill of surprise, he heard the mechanized voice speak up. _"Recognized, Batman, 02."_ He stepped swiftly into the light, and took off the second his feet touched the Cave floor.

He'd memorized Jason's position, so he was there as soon as he could be, running through the halls until he rounded a corner and saw Jason. He was sitting against a wall, staring down at something that he had clutched to his chest. His mask was off, and there were the remnants of tears on his face.

"Jason," Bruce cried. He tore off his cowl and knelt beside his son. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Cheshire," Jason said blankly. He didn't react to Bruce's presence, which made him shiver. "She came last night. She gave us a _gift_." The venom in Jason's voice made Bruce think that the gift was anything but pleasant.

"What is it?" Bruce asked, unsure if he wanted to know. Jason finally looked up at him, and there was a horrible lost look in his eyes. All of a sudden Bruce felt like something was squeezing his heart out of his chest.

"Dick," he breathed. "It has something to do with Dick."

Jason nodded, and showed Bruce what he was holding to his chest. A tattered shirt, covered with blood, a lock of dark hair, with the same rusty stains. Suddenly it made sense why Jason was so still, so vulnerable in a way he never really had been before.

Bruce felt his knees buckle, and he knelt next to his adopted son, putting his hand on Jason's shoulder. "He's fine," he said shakily. "Dick is fine. Talia said she wouldn't kill him immediately."

"How long can he last if she's injuring him like this?" Jason demanded furiously, his eyes suddenly alight. "Bruce, this is a lot of blood, and Dick was already injured. She can only push him so far before he breaks."

Bruce slowly shook his head, feeling a sharp pang in his chest. "That's why we're going to find him," he reminded Jason. "We're going to find him."

They were quiet for only a few minutes until the Team arrived, and shocked and worried voices rang through the hall. Bruce slipped on his cowl, and once more became Batman, Jason replaced his mask and was Robin. They were acting for the Team, pretending all was well.

Everyone fussed over Jason until he got fed up and told them in no uncertain terms that he was perfectly whole and uninjured. Soon M'gann was baking cookies while Superboy watched, while Artemis and Kid Flash sat and watched Superboy's static, just talking and holding hands. They were the only ones who'd been able to make it, and for once, Bruce was grateful for the lack of response to his call for help.

If Superman had been there, or Black Canary, or even Red Tornado, they would have noticed Dick's shirt and the lock of hair for sure.

As it was, Bruce knew he would have to tell them at some point, but for now, while they were happy after finding out that Jason was alright, he would let them rest. They all needed a break from the tension filled moments where all they could think about was their missing Robin.

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><p>Unknown place<p>

Unknown date, unknown time

Dick was starting to hate waking up. It felt as though each time he did, he was either in more pain, or in the kind of situation he usually had nightmares about after a particularly stressful mission.

For instance, he couldn't say that it was his favorite thing to be hanging from a wire a hundred feet above the ground when he wasn't the one in control of the situation. The first thing he was really aware of was the burning in his arms and wrists, and then he opened his eyes, and looked up. He was chained to a wire that was strung between two wooden poles. It looked as though it was meant to be a tightrope, but was slightly thicker.

Looking down, Dick groaned. Usually he had no problem with heights, none at all, but now he was not only chained up, and in pain, but also dizzy from the blood he'd lost over the past few days.

The ground whirled far beneath him, and Dick grimaced. It wouldn't have been as bad if he'd been hanging from a trapeze of his own free will.

He started to slowly hoist himself up, pulling himself hand over hand. The going was made slower still by the heavy chain that chafed at his wrists, and the pain in his side and shoulder, but he knew it would only be worse the longer he waited, and he didn't want to find out how long Talia planned to leave him hanging there.

It seemed like hours before he managed to grasp at the rope, but in reality it couldn't have been more than forty minutes. Dick stopped, gasping. The pain in his shoulder and side was getting worse with every moment. He hadn't properly healed from any of his injuries, and this was sure to make it worse.

_This is why Batman trained me to move through my pain,_ he thought grimly. He knew for sure that if he hadn't had that training, there was no way he would even be conscious now.

"Maybe you are more like a bird than I was told," Talia's voice echoed around the room, and Dick looked to see if she was actually there, seeing nothing but a glowing screen.

"I wouldn't have survive being an acrobat without the ability to fly," he responded coolly, trusting that she could hear him. "Just so long as my wings aren't clipped."

Talia laughed. "We were planning on clipping your wings," she admitted, making Dick cringe, "but there's been a change of plan. I've thought of something that I believe will affect your father almost more than keeping you locked in and hurting you."

"And that would be- what exactly?" he asked testily.

"Turning you into an assassin," Talia said sweetly, and Dick almost lost his grip on the rope as the horror nearly overwhelmed him.

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><p><strong>Bwahaahahahaha! Plot twist! sort of . . . . . XD I was writing the chapter and went, "welp, this is going nowhere, so why not do . . . this!" Anyways . . . I hope you liked that chapter!<strong>

**Constructive criticism, good things, ranting, so forth and so on . . . **

**REVIEW! :) :) **


	8. Chapter 7

**Hi! An update that's on time! Imagine that!**

**Really though, I'm super happy I managed to write this all. I also got a page finished for the next chapter, which makes me feel even better about going on a holiday hiatus.**

**Mickey's Girl, The Shadow Keeper, and MJ (a guest reviewer) are the winners of my three one shots! I already have The Shadow Keeper's request, so if the other two would kindly leave their request in their review (especially you MJ) that would be great. :)**

**MJ: I know, I'm having a lot of fun with this, although figuring out how she's making him an assassin has been difficult. I already have some fun ideas. *cackles evilly* Also, you _did_ win one of the one-shots. Choose a fandom, a character for it to center on, and a plot, and I'll get to writing!**

**Guest: Thanks. The story is heating up, and it's great! I'm glad you're enjoying it. :)**

**Kim: You did post the review twice, but hey, that's not a bad thing. :) Yeah, Talia's still trying to figure out what to do, because I am still figuring out what to do, so this shall be interesting! I know! Poor Wally! D: **

**I did get Roy to come in, as I promised, so here his is!**

**Five reviews! That's so great! All of you are amazing! :)**

**Disclaimer: The Justice League is currently holding me in an interrogation chamber because I know what happened to Robin, so I'll make this short. Wait, this is already really long! Oh well . . . in any case, I DON'T OWN YOUNG JUSTICE! Oh dear. Batman's here. Bye!**

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><p>Chapter 7<p>

Mount Justice

May 1, 13:00 EDT

Wally watched as Jason paced across the room, rubbing his shoulder. The young boy had just gotten back from a mission with Batman, and the scowl hadn't left his face since.

Wally wanted to ask what had happened, but Jason was nothing like Dick, and even Dick didn't like being bothered when he was in a bad mood. Jason had dislocated his shoulder on the mission, and Wally could bet that Batman was not pleased about that. The bat had always been super paranoid and over protective (for good reason), but now he was worse than ever.

Wally had been over at the Wayne's hideout a few days before with Jason, hanging out with Timmy, and telling him and Alfred all about Jason's time in the cave. Or at least, telling them the totally made up version that Jason and Bruce had fabricated. Wally knew something had happened, something way worse than Batman or Jason were willing to say. He'd been tempted several times to see if he could get it out of them, but Batman had been in a dark mood since Dick's disappearance, and Jason was _always_ in a dark mood.

"Do you think he's alright babe?" Artemis asked, coming up alongside him and nodding her head towards Jason. "He's been at it for about thirty minutes now."

"Yeah, yeah, he's fine," Wally said, trying to dismiss it. He frowned when he realized how unconvinced he himself sounded, but shook his head. "Alright, no he's not, but I think bothering him would be counterproductive," he admitted.

Artemis snorted. "So all of the bats are like that, not just Rob and Batman? Must run in the family."

Wally smiled. "Nah, Timmy's not half as bad as the rest of them," he pointed out, and Artemis nodded, her eyes narrowing in thought.

"True enough, but he has enough hacking skills that getting on his bad side would be just as counterproductive," she pointed out. "Come to think of it, so does Robin," she added, frowning.

Wally grinned. Artemis had made Rob mad a couple of months before, and hacked into her life, causing several incredibly embarrassing situations to take place. Artemis hadn't spoken to him for a week before admitting that it had actually been pretty funny.

The two of them continued to watch as Jason paced. He seemed to be slowing down, relaxing slightly. Then he turned and headed right for them. "Wally," he said quickly. "Does Dick spend a lot of time in the rafters here?"

For a moment Wally didn't know what to say, then he shrugged. "I guess. He goes up there when he wants to be alone, and sometimes when he's playing a prank, so I guess he does."

"Oh there's no guessing involved," Artemis put in. "He spends a lot of time up there, especially when Wally's not around. It's always kind of . . . Worrying."

Jason snorted. "I can imagine," he muttered. "There's no telling what he does up there. I'm going to go check it out."

With that, Jason fired his grappling gun up into the air and was gone. Wally almost expected Robin's trademark laugh to ring through the air after him. It just seemed like something Dick would do if he'd been there.

"What _do_ you think Robin has up there?" Artemis asked curiously.

Wally shrugged. "I don't know babe, snacks, and a pillow? A computer lab? Maybe he's stocked it like the batcave. It's Rob, it could be anything."

"You have a point," Artemis admitted, looking amused. Wally squeezed her hand, and they wandered into the main room. Kaldur was sparring with Troia, while Garth and Tula watched.

_Troia, status: fail_, flickered over the floor as Troia fell with a thud.

"Crap," she muttered. "How do you do that? I mean, I have super strength and can fly, but you've beaten me every time, just with your magic."

"That is where your problem lies," Kaldur said evenly, helping her to her feet. "Don't go into the battle thinking that you have an advantage. Try to counter my strengths, look for my weaknesses. Be confident, but don't underestimate your opponent."

Troia nodded. "That makes sense," she agreed, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "I generally just rush in without thinking."

Kaldur shook his head in dismay and amusement, and started talking again, but Wally was quickly too distracted to listen.

_"Recognized, Red Arrow, B06."_ The zeta tube activated, and Roy stepped through, looking furious. When he saw Wally, he took his bow off his back and nocked an arrow.

"Wally West," he growled. "You are dead."

In the the quarter of a second that it took for Wally to take off, he also started thinking. What had he done that could have pissed Roy off so bad?

"Roy! No!" Artemis yelled as Roy fired off a shot, missing Wally by several inches as he zoomed away. "What are you doing?"

"I'm killing your boyfriend!" the archer snapped, "and for once, he really deserves it!"

Wally yelped and raced up the wall and around the perimeter of the room. "RoystopnowhatdidIdo?TellmesoIcanfixitorsomething!" he yelled. Of course, he wasn't entirely sure that his friend could hear and understand what he'd just said, but he had to try something.

"YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!" Roy roared.

Wally froze. He knew what Roy was talking about now, and boy had he screwed up bad. "Crap," he muttered. "I'm so dead."

The foam arrows hit him, surrounding him so that he couldn't run. He could have vibrated out of it, but he didn't even try. "Dude, I am so sorry, you were on a mission, and GA didn't know where you were and you weren't answering your communicator or your phone messages, and I didn't know what to do, but hey I tried!" he babbled.

Roy stalked close to him, leaning in. His teeth were gritted, and his green eyes were dark and furious. "You should have tried harder!" he yelled. "I saw it on the news, the _news_ Wally! He's been missing since the fifteenth of April? That's almost a month ago, and I didn't know, so I was looking for the real Roy Harper instead of Dick."

"Woah there arrow boy," Artemis said coldly, stepping between Roy and Wally. "He just said that he'd been trying to contact you, so if you didn't choose to listen, that's _your_ problem."

Roy stopped, glaring at her, then relaxed, sighing. "You're right."

Artemis looked startled, then relaxed. "I'm not chipping him out of your foam Roy, so you'd better do that yourself," she muttered.

Wally laughed. "Don't bother!" he said cheerfully, then vibrated out of the foam. "Uncle Barry's been teaching me how to get out of situations like that."

"Ok, I'm still not sure what's going on," Troia said, and Wally realized that she was hovering behind Roy, looking as though she was ready to beat him to a pulp. "Who is this guy, and why are you all so calm about the fact that he just tried to kill Wally?"

"Oh that's right, Troia, meet Roy, Roy, Troia. Roy's an old friend," Wally said easily, slinging his arm over Roy's shoulders. "He's like this sometimes."

Roy shot him a glare, but Wally just grinned and zipped off to hide behind Kaldur.

"Old friend, I did not know that you were unaware of Robin's capture," Kaldur said softly. "Or else I would have tried as well. I know that Green Arrow and Batman were attempting to contact you, but I had assumed they succeeded weeks ago."

Roy sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Not so much, I was working on a lead. I can't say that I even noticed what was going on at the time. I don't remember getting messages."

Wally sighed as he zoomed back over to stand next to Artemis. "Yeah, well, now that you know Rob's missing, we can tell you that Talia Al Ghul is behind it, and that Cheshire paid Jason a visit a little while ago."

"Jason? How did Cheshire find Jason?" Roy asked, startled. "Wouldn't Batman be keeping Tim and Jason somewhere safe?"

"Batman's safe place for Jason just happens to be the cave," Artemis said. "It didn't work as well as he would have liked. I'm still glad Cheshire didn't hurt him, otherwise I might have an arrow with her name on it."

Artemis fingered her bow as though she might still go after her sister, and Roy exchanged a long look with Wally. "So Batman revealed his identity?" Roy asked in disbelief, looking around.

Wally nodded. "He came to the cave the day Rob appeared and told everyone. I'd already spent the morning freaking out because I'd seen it on the news as well, and I can't say that helped much."

"He spent the rest of the day curled up on the couch with a book," Artemis put in when Roy shot her a questioning glance. "He wouldn't eat, and he wouldn't run around. He was really worrying me."

"And M'gann, and Kaldur, and even Superboy," Troia added, and she flew by, trying to get away from Garth as he chased her. "They're still talking about it."

"I've officially been put on watch at all times," Wally whispered loudly. "Help me."

Roy laughed. "No way Wally. The thought of you sitting still and not eating is way too scary. I'm going to leave you to them. I might even join the watch."

Wally groaned, and everyone laughed.

"Roy," Jason said, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. "Good to see you I guess."

Everyone jumped, staring at the younger boy in surprise. "Darn it, we're going to have to get used to Robin again," Artemis groaned. "We've been too long without him."

"What do you mean, 'get used to him'?" Jason asked curiously.

"We'll have to get used to him sneaking up on us again," Wally said dismally. "He does it all the time. We were pretty much used to it when he disappeared, and now we're back to jumping."

Jason smirked. "Maybe you're just not used to _me_ doing it," he pointed out, "although, you're probably right, since Dick has always been better at moving silently."

"Is he better than Batman?" Wally asked curiously.

Jason nodded. "It's one of the few times I've ever seen Batman admit that someone was better than him at something. It was pretty funny, although I think Dick was embarrassed."

"I'll bet he was. He never seems to think he deserves compliments," M'gann said, coming over to them. She was balancing a tray of cookies, which for once weren't burned. "I didn't even have to read his mind to know that," she added.

Jason shrugged, taking a cookie. "Yeah, well . . . He's better than he thinks he is," he muttered.

They fell silent, watching as Troia and Superboy fought, then Roy started pestering Wally and Kaldur with questions while the others listened.

The pain of the loss was getting stronger.

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><p><strong>Bwahahahahaha! and there I leave you, with only one POV the entire chapter, and no sign of what Talia is doing with Dick! :) I'm awesome.<strong>

**XD**

**Anyways, I really hope you liked the chapter! PLEASE LEAVE A **

**REVIEW! :)**


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